Masters And Lovers 1-4 novel Chapter 80

At Haswell Building I head straight through the lobby for the elevator, pressing the button to bring it down.

And then, in the way of life, stand gazing into nothing as I wait.

The girl on the desk….

Familiar….

“Sorry to seem rude, but do we know each other?”

Her face should be pale against dark hair, but she’s crimson. “Um…. yes. We met two or three years ago. You were with your friend, James.”

Three years ago?

With James?

Ah….

“Debbie. That was it, wasn’t it?”

The blush, if anything, grows brighter as she displays her name badge. I walk over to take closer look, then chuckle.

Poor girl….

Must be excruciating….

“Ah, Kirstie. I see. Nice to meet you Kirstie.” I tap my nose. “Kirstie. I’ll remember that.”

She’s trying hard to maintain a professional air and not really succeeding. “Um, do I need to check with anyone if you have an appointment or something?”

Of course, you wouldn’t know….

“Sorry, of course, you’re new. No, don’t worry. They know me here. I’m just going to find my wife upstairs.”

“Yes, your friend said that you’d got married.”

“James? You’ve met him here?”

“Yes, just the other day.”

Oh, god what did he say to the poor girl?

“Was he polite?”

“Oh, yes. He was a gentleman.”

Thank God for that….

“Glad to hear it. He’s a good man; one of the best, but sometimes…. um… empathy’s not his strong point.”

She bursts out laughing and the bubble of tension bursts. “He’s a Dom isn’t he. If you cut him in half, it’d say ‘Dom’ running right through the middle.”

That’s our James….

“You’re not wrong there. Gotta go, Kirstie. See you around.” The elevator pings and the doors swish open. As I head for them, I turn quickly back to her. “I’m Michael by the way. Nice to meet you again.”

Wonder why James didn’t mention he’d met her?

*****

Charlotte

My stomach rumbles. I check my watch and it’s right on time. I grin. With a little care, I’d have a marketable product with my appetite.

I’m meeting Michael for lunch. He’s discovered a new restaurant that just opened just around the corner and he wants to give it a try. Snagging my jacket, I head out.

But as I leave the offices, over the road, sitting in the window in the cafe opposite, is Kirstie.

Mmm….

I hover then call Michael. “Hi, um, would you mind a change of plan for lunch? There’s someone I think you would like to meet….”

*****

In the cafe, I load up food for two, then hover over her until she notices me. She’s staring out of the window, lost in thought and startles as she sees me, but then smiles.

“Hi, mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” She waves to the seat next to her, shunting up a bit to make room for me.

“Hope you don’t mind?” I say. “I saw you from across the road and thought we might as well take the opportunity to get to know each other, since it looks as though we’re going to be seeing each other anyway.”

Her face falls. “Sure…. er….”

She’s not happy about that….

What did I say?

“Something wrong?” I ask.

She starts to speak, stops and starts again. “Look, take this the right way. I know Ben’s your brother-in-law, but I barely know him and….”

Really?

“You barely know him? He’s not shut up about you whenever I’ve seen him recently.”

She grimaces, rubbing at the top of her nose. “Charlotte, I’ve met him half a dozen times and had a couple of dates. Please don’t get the wrong impression about where we are with each other.”

Oh, dear….

He’s done it again….

“I don’t think it’s my impression that you need to worry about.”

I shouldn’t have done this….

…. Wonder if I can stop Michael….

“Hi.”

Too late….

My handsome husband stands over us, his smile broad and bright. And it’s aimed at Kirstie. “Hello again, Kirstie. I didn’t realise you two knew each other.”

They’ve met?